Fresh snow+Sugar+Milk+Vanilla=

A big mess and the girls' new favorite ice cream! I grew up making snow ice cream with snow and evaporated milk when we got big snows.  Ben had never heard of such a thing. This surprised me since he grew up with probably 50 times more snow than I did. I didn't have any evaporated milk at home, so had to improvise. The recipe needs a little work, but it was fun!

Tiny Hill Sledding in Action

I'm pretty sure the girls would have been hypothermic before coming inside willingly.

"Sledding"

It's hard to actually call it sledding since it was just on our tiny little front yard hill. But, the girls were excited to get their sleds out and use them. Elise felt like a "big girl".

Play time in the snow..

Kira loves making snow angels

Elise went through 3 pairs of gloves in an hour outside!

They had a wonderful time in the snow and then got hot cocoa inside. They thought it was an awesome day!

Snow Day!

We got the girls their own shovels in the fall, and then it didn't snow anymore. They were VERY excited to use them for the first time today!

 

First things first, we need to make a snow angel.

Okay, now we can shovel.

They actually managed to clear a little snow!

Elise got really serious about shoveling.

Really. Serious. She's putting her back into it!

Very proud of herself!

Little miss know it all.

"It doesn't have any sleeves. That's why it's a shawl": Kira explaining her (super cute) shawl to Cari.

We got another cat. Or Dog.

 

Kira and Elise like to pretend they are many different animals in any given day. This day was a cat and dog day. Kira insisted on eating and drinking out of bowls on the ground. Then she ate at the table. I think she figured out it was hard!

Hatching a plan

Sometimes I catch the kids with faces like this. They never own up to what they are thinking about. It makes me think I'm in trouble in the not too distant future!

Say Cheese!

Elise is our little camera-ready girl. Any time you ask her to say cheese, she stops what she is doing, gives you a pose, and a smile. It is great!

If we bring toys, they will come

It never ceases to amaze me at how kids who don't know eachother will gladly play together and share toys at a public park. We brought a bag of sand toys to the park, and these little boys immediately came over to play. All four had a great time without tears. That is, until the boys had to leave and they thought that they were having more fun in the sand than the museum could possibly offer.

Shannon and Rob Gould's Visit

We got a visit from Shannon and Rob Gould last weekend. We had a ton of fun. Mommy and Daddy got a babysitter and got to have an adults only dinner for the first time in a little while. The kids loved playing with, and showing off for, Shannon and Rob. Shannon and Rob even got brave and played with the girls at the Cherry Creek playground while Mom and Dad got new phones. The kids were very sad when "Daddy's Friends" left town, and want them to come back. I want to know why they are only "Daddy's Friends", as I think they are my friends, too!

Princesses, They're Just Like Us

Rapunzel needed to be fastened into Kira's seat, too. Luckily, I didn't attach her seat with the seat belt, so it was available for Rapunzel.

And, her shoes come off at the door when it's wet out, too.

A Day with Cousin Trent

You can tell who the first children in their families are. Helo, attention span...

Elise is enamored with the big kids.

They love the playground in Grammy-K and Grandpa-J's neighborhood.

Lots of sledding together!

Helping Trent build a ditch system.

Elise needs to go to gymnastics classes...

All of the kids love the toys at Grammy-K and Grandpa-J's. Everything comes out. Every time.